As anticipated, David Pressman’s tenure as US ambassador to Hungary will conclude following Donald Trump’s landslide victory. Pressman officially announced his departure during a press event on Tuesday, as reported by Magyar Nemzet. The news was also confirmed in a newsletter issued by the US Embassy in Budapest on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as no surprise, given the highly partisan nature of David Pressman’s appointment. The US diplomat arrived in Hungary during the summer of 2022 as some kind of ‘viceroy’ of the Democratic administration. From the outset, he actively criticized the Hungarian government’s policies, ranging from child protection to its stance on the war in Ukraine.
Pressman notably attempted, among other things, to exert pressure on the Hungarian parliament regarding Sweden’s accession to NATO. On the day of the vote, he and his entourage made the highly unusual move of attending the parliamentary session in person.
Pressman also made headlines for announcing sanctions against Imre Laszlóczki, former Hungarian ambassador to Azerbaijan and then senior official at the Budapest-based International Investment Bank (IIB)—a move uncharacteristic of an ally. Furthermore, during his tenure as ambassador, Washington unilaterally terminated the Hungarian–US double taxation treaty, adding to the tensions between the two countries.
The US Embassy has engaged in several unprecedented campaigns against the Hungarian government over the years. Most recently, it used paid Facebook advertisements to criticize Hungary’s energy policy and spread false information about the country’s energy purchases from Russia.
Even on the eve of Trump’s victory, Pressman did not shy away from criticizing the Hungarian government. ‘Prime Minister Orbán treated this election like a card game at a casino. And he placed a very big bet. Whether he believes that he won or lost this hand, he was gambling not with money but with the US–Hungary relationship. A relationship that has been altered by his gamesmanship. The damage caused runs deeper than a four-year term of a President, because it is rooted in an impulse to transform something big and lasting—a relationship between allies, between strong nations—into something smaller and fleeting,’ he said in a speech on 6 November.
Speculation is already underway regarding who will succeed Pressman as US ambassador to Hungary. As reported by Hungarian Conservative, the list of likely candidates includes three names: Nancy Brinker, David Cornstein, and Bryan Leib. Both Brinker and Cornstein have previously served as US ambassadors to Hungary, while Leib represents a younger generation of politicians. Notably, Leib has been very active on Hungarian–American relations, a vocal critic of David Pressman, and an advocate for initiatives aimed at improving ties between Washington and Budapest.
For instance, he recently highlighted the lack of direct flights between Hungary and the United States in a post on X, suggesting that addressing this issue would be a priority if he were appointed.
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